William Jay Corliss
This is the beginning of the Bill Corliss Memorial Blog
Bill was born in Detroit Michigan November 17 1956 to William R and Jessie I Corliss.
Bill was taken from us on March 25 2006 while cycling near Saratoga Springs, Utah
This page is being maintained by his family in his loving memory. Please feel to submit your photos and experiences with Bill and we welcome them and will try to make sure they are shared with anyone who visits this page.
Contributions to the "Bill Corliss Cycling Advocacy Fund" may be made at the following location:
Bill Corliss Bicycle Advocacy Fund
Frontier Bank
PO Box 981180
Park City Utah 84098
(435)615-BANK (2265)
Next to his loving wife Deb,and the "apple of his eye" his son Jordan , and his Huskies, Boris and Natasha , Nothing was more important or closer to his heart than cycling. Bill worked tirelessly to improve cycling for everyone. He dedicated his time to improve cycling laws in Utah making the roads safer for cyclists. He mentored new cyclists teaching them knowledge garnered from a lifetime of cycling experience.He spent countless hours assisting fellow cyclists with their questions on cycling forums on the internet.Cycling was his passion and he made that passion his career, most recently as Director of Development for Specialty Electronics for Bell Sports. Please participate in your local "Ride of Silence" More information about the rides including how to organize a ride in your area is available at www.rideofsilence.org
Bill was born in Detroit Michigan November 17 1956 to William R and Jessie I Corliss.
Bill was taken from us on March 25 2006 while cycling near Saratoga Springs, Utah
This page is being maintained by his family in his loving memory. Please feel to submit your photos and experiences with Bill and we welcome them and will try to make sure they are shared with anyone who visits this page.
Contributions to the "Bill Corliss Cycling Advocacy Fund" may be made at the following location:
Bill Corliss Bicycle Advocacy Fund
Frontier Bank
PO Box 981180
Park City Utah 84098
(435)615-BANK (2265)
Next to his loving wife Deb,and the "apple of his eye" his son Jordan , and his Huskies, Boris and Natasha , Nothing was more important or closer to his heart than cycling. Bill worked tirelessly to improve cycling for everyone. He dedicated his time to improve cycling laws in Utah making the roads safer for cyclists. He mentored new cyclists teaching them knowledge garnered from a lifetime of cycling experience.He spent countless hours assisting fellow cyclists with their questions on cycling forums on the internet.Cycling was his passion and he made that passion his career, most recently as Director of Development for Specialty Electronics for Bell Sports. Please participate in your local "Ride of Silence" More information about the rides including how to organize a ride in your area is available at www.rideofsilence.org
posted by Gregory Corliss at 6:11 AM
4 Comments:
We must co-exist with bicyclists
Bicycles are a part of our city and our society. And we'll be seeing more of them as gas prices go higher and we become more willing to be environmentally aware, and as we pursue our physical fitness. How do we co-exist with the vehicles on the roadway? The city has put in many biking trails and is planning to put in more. But there aren't trails going everywhere we need to go on a bicycle. And what lessons do we teach our children to make them safe as they ride a bicycle? There are some hard and fast rules, and there are different types of riders.
First, the hard-and-fast rules under the Utah Code for traffic laws:
ADVERTISEMENT
# Bicycles have the same rights as other vehicles on the road (41-6a-1102;1).
# Bicycles have the same responsibilities as other vehicles to obey the rules of the road, including stop lights and signs, speed limits, lights (when needed) and yielding to other vehicles and pedestrians when appropriate, along with other rules and laws.
Bicycles also have some specific provisions as these laws apply to them.
For instance, how do you make a left turn, and where should we expect to find bicyclists on the road?
# Bicycles traveling at less than the speed of traffic are required to ride to the right hand edge of the roadway, thus not impeding traffic flow. (41-6a-1105;1 and 41-6a-605) unless there is a biking trail and a sign directing the use of the biking trail. This means that they may be found in the lane of travel if they are at the speed of traffic.
# There may not be more than two bicycles side by side in a lane of travel, if they are not impeding the flow of other vehicles. (41-6a-1105;3)
# As seen in figure 1, bicycles may move left into the lane of travel to avoid a hazard or to pass another bicycle or a slower moving vehicle, such as one turning right (41-6a-1105).
# On roads having a right turn only lane, the bicyclist may ride in the lane of travel that goes straight through, as seen in figure 2. If this were not the case, the right-turning car might not see the bicyclist and hit him or her in making the right turn.
# Bicycles can turn left one of two ways: either they must follow the provisions of a left turn for vehicles described in UCA 41-6a-801 - From the left most lane into the left most lane - or as described in 41-6a-1108;2 - go straight across the street to the next corner, stop and wait for the light to change, then turn left when the light is green. (See figures 3 and 4.)
Why are there two types of left turns for bicyclists? Because there are different levels of skill. Some can't keep up with the flow of traffic and would impede other vehicles if they tried the first method. These slower riders, children and other less-experienced riders or those just out for a leisurely ride, should opt for the second option for turning left.
How do we teach our children to ride safely? Teach them to ride on the sidewalk or to the right side of the road in the direction of traffic. Tell them that they do not yet have rights to the lane of travel until they can keep up with the flow of traffic and until they become experienced and aware enough to not be a hazard to other vehicles around them. Teach them to obey the laws of the road as other vehicles must, and teach them that they will have the right to full use of a lane of travel and to make left turns differently when they are capable. They must first learn to crawl before they can walk, and walk before they can run. The same is true with a bicycle operation. Teach them to alwayswear a helmet. Most motorcyclists and bicyclists are severely injured or die because they have head injuries. These people would most likely have survived with a few bumps or abrasions if they had worn a helmet.
How do we as motorists deal with bicyclists? First we must realize that they are part of the traffic. They have a right and a place on the roadway. We must learn to see and respect the bicyclists and allow them to share the road with us.
We must co-exist with bicyclists
Bicycles are a part of our city and our society. And we'll be seeing more of them as gas prices go higher and we become more willing to be environmentally aware, and as we pursue our physical fitness. How do we co-exist with the vehicles on the roadway? The city has put in many biking trails and is planning to put in more. But there aren't trails going everywhere we need to go on a bicycle. And what lessons do we teach our children to make them safe as they ride a bicycle? There are some hard and fast rules, and there are different types of riders.
First, the hard-and-fast rules under the Utah Code for traffic laws:
# Bicycles have the same rights as other vehicles on the road (41-6a-1102;1).
# Bicycles have the same responsibilities as other vehicles to obey the rules of the road, including stop lights and signs, speed limits, lights (when needed) and yielding to other vehicles and pedestrians when appropriate, along with other rules and laws.
Bicycles also have some specific provisions as these laws apply to them.
For instance, how do you make a left turn, and where should we expect to find bicyclists on the road?
# Bicycles traveling at less than the speed of traffic are required to ride to the right hand edge of the roadway, thus not impeding traffic flow. (41-6a-1105;1 and 41-6a-605) unless there is a biking trail and a sign directing the use of the biking trail. This means that they may be found in the lane of travel if they are at the speed of traffic.
# There may not be more than two bicycles side by side in a lane of travel, if they are not impeding the flow of other vehicles. (41-6a-1105;3)
# As seen in figure 1, bicycles may move left into the lane of travel to avoid a hazard or to pass another bicycle or a slower moving vehicle, such as one turning right (41-6a-1105).
# On roads having a right turn only lane, the bicyclist may ride in the lane of travel that goes straight through, as seen in figure 2. If this were not the case, the right-turning car might not see the bicyclist and hit him or her in making the right turn.
# Bicycles can turn left one of two ways: either they must follow the provisions of a left turn for vehicles described in UCA 41-6a-801 - From the left most lane into the left most lane - or as described in 41-6a-1108;2 - go straight across the street to the next corner, stop and wait for the light to change, then turn left when the light is green. (See figures 3 and 4.)
Why are there two types of left turns for bicyclists? Because there are different levels of skill. Some can't keep up with the flow of traffic and would impede other vehicles if they tried the first method. These slower riders, children and other less-experienced riders or those just out for a leisurely ride, should opt for the second option for turning left.
How do we teach our children to ride safely? Teach them to ride on the sidewalk or to the right side of the road in the direction of traffic. Tell them that they do not yet have rights to the lane of travel until they can keep up with the flow of traffic and until they become experienced and aware enough to not be a hazard to other vehicles around them. Teach them to obey the laws of the road as other vehicles must, and teach them that they will have the right to full use of a lane of travel and to make left turns differently when they are capable. They must first learn to crawl before they can walk, and walk before they can run. The same is true with a bicycle operation. Teach them to alwayswear a helmet. Most motorcyclists and bicyclists are severely injured or die because they have head injuries. These people would most likely have survived with a few bumps or abrasions if they had worn a helmet.
How do we as motorists deal with bicyclists? First we must realize that they are part of the traffic. They have a right and a place on the roadway. We must learn to see and respect the bicyclists and allow them to share the road with us.
My deepest sorrow for the fate of Bill Corliss. May his family and friends recover from the blow. An eager bicyclist myself in Denmark, I appreciate the path he chose in life, saving the life quality and health of others.
He did not live in vain. If something can be learned from his death, that too , although painful, is not in vain.
Nice post, love the pictures. We here in Chicago, TURIN Bike alums, remember Bill fondly, and I personally was floored when I'd read about the circumstances of his passing.
Post a Comment
<< Home